Environmental Chemistry Commons^™

The Vinylguaiacol/Indole Or Vgi ("Veggie") Ratio: A Novel Molecular Parameter To Evaluate The Relative Contributions Of Terrestrial And Aquatic Organic Matter To Sediments., Michael A. Kruge, Kevin K. Olsen, Jaroslaw W. Slusarczyk, Elaine Gomez

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The organic matter (OM) fraction of estuarine sediments is often distinctive and thus diagnostically useful in determinations of sedimentary provenance. Among the most fundamental distinctions to be made is that between terrestrial and aquatic OM. To supplement the parameters commonly used for this purpose (e.g., C/N and stable isotope ratios), we proposed the Vinylguaiacol/Indole or VGI ("Veggie") ratio, defined as [vinylguaiacol / (indole + vinylguaiacol)] using data produced by analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of dried, homogenized sediment samples. The ratio employs the peak areas of these two compounds on the mass chromatograms of their molecular ions (m/z 150 and 117). …

Synthesis And Catalytic Activity Of Nanostructured Cerium Oxide, Neil J. Lawrence

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cerium oxide (ceria, CeO_2-x where x is 0 to 0.5) has been one of the most widely used heterogeneous catalysts particularly in three way catalytic converters. Most of the catalytic traits can be attributed to two properties of ceria: first, the high mobility and storage capacity of oxygen within the lattice; second, the ease with which cerium changes between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ states. These properties, combined with the abundance of cerium on earth, make ceria a low-cost highly effective alternative to noble metal catalysts. Recent research has been focused on the nanoscale properties of ceria.

The effect …

Synthesis, Kinetic And Photocatalytic Studies Of Porphyrin-Ruthenium-Oxo Complexes, Yan Huang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Macrocyclic ligand-complexed transition metal-oxo intermediates are the active oxidizing species in a variety of important biological and catalytic oxidation reactions. Many transition metal catalysts have been designed to mimic the predominant oxidation catalysts in Nature, namely the cytochrome P450 enzymes. Ruthenium porphyrin complexes have been the center of the research and have successfully been utilized, as catalysts, in major oxidation reactions such as the hydroxylation of alkanes. This study focuses on kinetic and photocatalytic studies of oxidation reactions with wellcharacterized high-valent ruthenium-oxo porphyrin complexes.
The trans-dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrins have been among the best characterized metal-oxo intermediates and their involvement as …

Fluorescent Chemosensors For Toxic Organophosphorus Pesticides: A Review, Sherine O. Obare, Chandrima De, Wen Guo, Tajay L. Haywood, Tova A. Samuels, Clara P. Adams, Noah O. Masika, Desmond H. Murray, Ginger A. Anderson, Keith Campbell, Kenneth Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Many organophosphorus (OP) based compounds are highly toxic and powerful inhibitors of cholinesterases that generate serious environmental and human health concerns. Organothiophosphates with a thiophosphoryl (P=S) functional group constitute a broad class of these widely used pesticides. They are related to the more reactive phosphoryl (P=O) organophosphates, which include very lethal nerve agents and chemical warfare agents, such as, VX, Soman and Sarin. Unfortunately, widespread and frequent commercial use of OP-based compounds in agricultural lands has resulted in their presence as residues in crops, livestock, and poultry products and also led to their migration into aquifers. Thus, the design of …

Degradation Of Chlorophenols In Swine Waste, Srilatha Gangula

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Naturally occurring plant derived phenols can be degraded through bacteria in swine waste. Chlorinated phenols, which are not naturally present in the environment, are toxic and generated from industrial activities as such petrochemical, pharmaceutical, plastic, rubber, pesticide, iron, steel, paper production, coal conversion, wood preserving, and cellulose bleaching. Large scale coal gasification and carbonization plants are another source of chlorinated phenols. Although not normally present in the environment, chlorinated phenols are structurally similar to many plant derived phenolics.

It is our hypothesis that bacteria located in swine wastes may also have the ability to degrade chlorinated phenols. Identifying situations (and …

A Novel Pervious Cement Reaction Barrier (Pcrb) In Situ Arsenic Remediation System, Morgan Liane Jones

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

Herbicides And Amphibian Populations, Zach Shirk

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Amphibians are a unique class of species that are found worldwide except Antarctica and Greenland. They range in size from a few millimeters to over six feet long. Amphibian’s habitats are as various as their size, but one thing in common is that amphibians require an aquatic location to breed. Amphibians live in deserts, mountain prairies, rain forest, wetlands, and almost everywhere in between. Amphibians are an integrated part of most natural ecosystems across the world. Amphibians are a critical part of many food chains; they provide the important link between secondary and tertiary consumers. Amphibians are indicator species in …

Relatin Dissolved Oxygen Concentration To Fish Distribution In Jarecki Lake, Adam Sutton

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract Water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles were measured once every month from mid July to mid February in a relatively deep sand-pit lake in southeast Nebraska. These profiles showed depleted DO concentrations below the thermocline during summer stratification indicating areas fish will likely avoid in summer months. Colder temperatures in fall caused complete mixing of the water column allowing fish to inhabit all depths of the lake. An inverse temperature stratification occurred directly below the ice during winter months as ice cover cooled the surface water to below 4 degrees Celsius. Ice cover also blocked air – water …

Water-Soluble Soa From Alkene Ozonolysis: Composition And Droplet Activation Kinetics Inferences From Analysis Of Ccn Activity, A. Asa-Awuku, A. Nenes, Song Gao, R. C. Flagan, John H. Seinfeld

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Cloud formation characteristics of the water-soluble organic fraction (WSOC) of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the ozonolysis of alkene hydrocarbons (terpinolene, 1-methlycycloheptene and cycloheptene) are studied. Based on size-resolved measurements of CCN activity (of the pure and salted WSOC samples) we estimate the average molar volume and surface tension depression associated with the WSOC using Köhler Theory Analysis (KTA). Consistent with known speciation, the results suggest that the WSOC are composed of low molecular weight species, with an effective molar mass below 200 g mol−1. The water-soluble carbon is also surface-active, depressing surface tension 10–15% from that of pure …

Proposal Narrative, Morton Sternheim, Stephan Schneider

STEM Digital

No abstract provided.

Sorption Of Bovine Serum Albumin On Nano And Bulk Oxide Particles, Lei Song

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Manufactured oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have large production and widespread applications, which will inevitably enter the environment. NPs can interact with proteins in living beings due to the fact that NPs can transport into blood or across cell membranes into cells. Conformational change of protein molecules after sorption on oxide NPs has been reported. Therefore, it is important to understand the adsorption mechanism of protein onto oxide NPs surfaces. Although few works have reported protein adsorption behaviors, a general systematic comparison of the effects of particle size and surface groups on protein adsorption by widely studied NPs still needs to be …

Nitrogen Dioxide In The Urban Forest: Exposure And Uptake, Tanner B. Harris

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were measured inside and adjacent to canopies of urban trees in Springfield, MA, over two growing seasons. Nitrogen dioxide levels were consistently and significantly higher inside tree canopies compared to levels outside. During the second growing season, ozone (O3), temperature, and relative humidity (RH) were also measured using samplers co-located with the NO2 samplers. Ozone levels were significantly lower inside the canopy whereas temperatures were higher inside the canopy, and RH was not different between inner and outer canopy locations. The results corroborate theoretical models predicting elevated NO2 and depressed O3 levels inside tree canopies based …

Detecting Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide With Btb, Stephan Schneider

IPY STEM Polar Connections

A study of the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in air samples requires an understanding of effective sampling techniques, the use of pH indicators, an understanding of chemical reactions that result on the formation of acidic compounds, and an understanding of the chemical processes that contribute to the composition and characteristics of Earth’s atmosphere.

Geochemical Investigation Of An Offshore Sewage Sludge Deposit, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Michael A. Kruge, Albert Permanyer, Jordi Serra, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For 20 years ending in the 1990’s the city of Barcelona discharged the products from a large primary sewage treatment plant directly into the Mediterranean Sea via underwater conduits. About ca. 3 million m³ of relict sewage sludge, rich in organic matter and heavy metals, has spread over an elongated area offshore, due to successive ruptures of the conduits. The use of the discharge pipes ceased, but he sludge deposit remains in place for the time being.

To understand the history and present state of the sludge deposit in advance of future remediation, a program of geophysical mapping, sampling, …

Post-Coring Entrapment Of Modern Air In Some Shallow Ice Cores Collected Near The Firn-Ice Transition: Evidence From Cfc-12 Measurements In Antarctic Firn Air And Ice Cores, Murat Aydin, S. A. Montzka, M. O. Battle, M. B. Williams, Warren J. De Bruyn, J. H. Butler, K. R. Verhulst, C. Tatum, B. K. Gun, D. A. Plotkin, B. D. Hall, Eric S. Saltzman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, we report measurements of CFC-12 (CCl2F2) in firn air and in air extracted from shallow ice cores from three Antarctic sites. The firn air data are consistent with the known atmospheric history of CFC-12. In contrast, some of the ice core samples collected near the firn-ice transition exhibit anomalously high CFC-12 levels. Together, the ice core and firn air data provide evidence for the presence of modern air entrapped in the shallow ice core samples that likely contained open pores at the time of collection. We propose that this is due to closure of the open pores …

Temporal And Spatial Variations In Freshwater 14C Reservoir Effects: Lake Mývatn, Northern Iceland, Philippa L. Ascough, G. T. Cook, M. J. Church, E. Dunbar, Á. Einarsson, Thomas H. Mcgovern, A. J. Dugmore, Sophia Perdikaris, H. Hastie, A. Friðriksson, H. Gestsdóttir

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Lake Mývatn is an interior highland lake in northern Iceland that forms a unique ecosystem of international scientific importance and is surrounded by a landscape rich in archaeological and paleoenvironmental sites. A significant freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) has been identified in carbon from the lake at some Viking (about AD 870–1000) archaeological sites in the wider region (Mývatnssveit). Previous accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements indicated this FRE was about 1500–1900 ¹⁴C yr. Here, we present the results of a study using stable isotope and ¹⁴C measurements to quantify the Mývatn FRE for both the Viking and modern periods. …

Remote Measurements Of On-Road Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles In California; Year 2, 2009, Brent G. Schuchmann, Gary A. Bishop, Donald H. Stedman

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.

Multi-Species On-Road Remote Sensing Of Vehicle Emissions In Van Nuys, California – August 2010, Gary A. Bishop, Brent G. Schuchmann, Donald H. Stedman

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.

On-Road Emission Measurements Of Reactive Nitrogen Compounds From Three California Cities, Gary A. Bishop, Allison Peddle, Donald H. Stedman

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

The three California cities of San Jose, Fresno and West Los Angeles (wLA) were visited during March 2008 to collect on-road emission measurements of reactive nitrogen compounds from light-duty vehicles. At the San Jose and wLA sites comparison with historical measurements showed that emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitric oxide (NO) continue to decrease in the on-road fleet yet the ratio of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) to NO in new diesel vehicles appears to be under going large increases. A small fleet of 2007 diesel ambulances measured in Fresno was found to have more than 60% …

Remote Measurements Of On-Road Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles In California; Year 3, 2010, Brent G. Schuchmann, Gary A. Bishop, Donald H. Stedman

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.

Correlation Of The Real-Time Particulate Matter Emissions Measurements Of A Esp Remote Sensing Device (Rsd) And A Dekati Electronic Tailpipe Sensor (Etaps) With Gravimetrically Measured Pm From A Total Exhaust Dilution Tunnel System, Mridul Gautam, Donald H. Stedman, Daniel K. Carder, Benjamin Shade, Nigel Clark, Gregory Thompson, Scott Wayne, Gary A. Bishop, Brent G. Schuchmann, Dan Pope, Niranjan Vescio, Gary Full, Peter Mcclintock, Drew Rau

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.